Railway switch locking device



Nov. 10, 1936.

B. J. SCHWENDT ET AL RAILWAY SWITCH LOCKING DEVICE Filed April 17, 1935 IANV N ORS 7 A I TORNEYj I I Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY SWITCH LOCKING DEVICE Application April 17, 1935, Serial No. 16,937

8 Claims.

This invention relates to railway switches, especially to securements therefor, and more particularly to a portable locking device of the type intended to be used primarily when a switch is to be kept from being moved in any event.

One manner in which a switchpoint may be secured in a fixed position is by driving a spike into a tie adjacent to the switch point, so that the shank and head of the spike engage the switch point and are intended to prevent any movement thereof.

While this practice is ordinarily effective in that it secures the switch point in a fixed position, it has various disadvantages. In the first place, the driving and redriving of such a spike, if it proves necessary to move the switch point from time to time, acts to mutilate the tie to such an extent that it will no longer hold the spike.

These spiking operations may leave not only a marred and weakened tie, but often also a spike with a latent flaw, subject to rapid deterioration and actual failure to function in the intended manner to secure the switch point. It may happen also that routine track inspections are less likely to uncover such a latent spike defeet.

In any event, a spike at a switch point is subject to loosening by the incessant wedging action, incidental to the tapered shape of the point and action being started and repeated by the daily atmospheric changes in temperature, which cause changes in length of the point, and the efiect of which is aggravated by the wheel hammer, multiplied thousands of times a day.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide, in place of the unsatisfactory securement afforded by such a spike at the switch point, an easily installed and readily removable securement appliance of a portable character, that can be quickly applied and removed, without the use of tools, by a person having little if any experience in tracklaying.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for securing a more than usually firm placement of the switch point against the stock rail, by a hand-nut that can be easily screwed home with a relative movement of a familiar character; and to provide means for locking the securement in place against casual displacement by dragging parts of passing trains or by intentional sabotage; also to discourage malicious or thoughtless interference by trespassers; and in general to render practically impossible the mQving of a switch point, so locked, by any person not in the possession of a suitable key.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a securement which presents a minimum obstruction in the right of way, with a maximum range of adjustability, and the fewest possible operating parts consistent with efiiciency and adaptability to the different conditions encountered in use, including those met with in installations other than the conventional switch point securement for which the device is primarily intended; in short, a securement appliance so devised that such appliances can be made and sold to railroads in large quantities as standard equipment, capable of interchangeable use with rails of every size and gauge Whenever rail parts are to be bound together by a securement of the portable character indicated.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail and the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view through a stock rail and switch point, including a side elevation of a rail-clamping or locking device, with parts broken away to reveal interior structure, and with said locking device in a locking position; Figure 2 is an elevational view in plan of the locking device; Figure 3 is a crosssectional view on the plane indicated by the line III-III of Fig. 2; Figure 4 is a, cross-sectional view on the plane indicated by the line IV-IV of Figure 1; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view on a plane indicated by the line VV of Fig. l.

Numeral I designates a stock rail and numeral 2 designates a movable switch point, both of conventional cross-section. Said switch point includes, and so represents in broken lines, a vertically disposed portion 3 and flange 4, and has a tapered undercut portion 5 which is adapted to be engaged by a flange 6 of the stock rail I. The position of the switch point 2 against the stock rail I, as shown in Figure 1, indicates the normal position in which the switch point is to be maintained.

The device, according to this invention, which is provided to lock said switch point against the stock rail I, generally comprises a slidable clamp shoe 1 adjustably mounted on the threaded end 8 of a rod 9, a clamp shoe or anchor member ID fixed to the opposite end of said rod, and an operating hand-nut I I screwed upon said rod 9.

Said clamp shoe I comprises a base portion I2, and an upright head portion I3 having a side-flange I4. The forward end of the base I2, which is trough-shaped, has fiat upper edges I5 adapted to bear slidingly against the under surface of the rail, as at I6 in Fig. 1. The passage of the rod 8 through the support shoe 1 is furnished by a smooth bore I6 (see Fig. 4) in continuance of the open trough-channel, so that the shoe I can be moved quickly into any desired position along the rod, non-rotatively. The head of shoe 1 has a claw I! which overhangs the flange I8 of rail I when the device is fitted to a rail. The rear end I 9 of the shoe has a squaredoff counter which serves as an abutment for the hub 29 on the hand-nut I I. At the opposite side, as at 2I, the hub may be of polygonal shape, as shown, to facilitate use of a wrench or key thereon.

A series of holes 22 in the knob-shaped handle of the nut II, provide for adjustment thereto of a conventional or other suitable locking means 23, such as the padlock best seen in Fig. 2.

The clamp shoe I0 has a square recess 23 at one end thereof, within which a square head 24 on the rod 9 is adapted to fit, and the shoe is secured to the rod by means of a pin 25 which is disposed in notches 26 at the inner end 2! of the shoe II]. A claw 28, formed on the head 29 of the clamp shoe I0, is adapted to fit over the end of the flange 4, as shown in Figure 1. The inner end 2'! of this shoe is trough-shaped and its edges 39 bear slidingly against the under surface of the rail, as at 3I.

When the switch point 2, of the type described, is moved to a position wherein it is to remain for an indefinite period, it will normally have one side thereof in abutting relation with the stock rail I, and its undercut surface 5 in engagement with the rail flange 6, as shown in Figure 1. After moving the switch point against said stock rail, the clamping and locking device is adjusted and arranged in a clamping and locking position with the clamp shoe I0 engaging the flange 4 on the switch point 2 and the clamping shoe I engaging the stock rail I. To adjust said clamping device, the shoe 1 is moved along the rod slidingly, and upon reaching the desired position, the said shoe is set by running up the hand-nut I I by means of its knob handle. When said device is thus installed, the clamping nut I I is rotated further to cause the switch point 2 to be drawn firmly against the stock rail I by the action of the clamp shoe II].

The switch point having thus been clamped against the stock rail I, the hand-nut II is next locked to prevent any unauthorized person from releasing same. This is accomplished by inserting the bail of the lock 23 into one of the openings 22 of the hand-nut in a position which will cause the body portion of the lock 23 to engage the flange I4 of the support "I on its upper side, as viewed in Fig. 2. A slight turn of the knob in ,a counter-clockwise direction will then cause the lock bail to jam against flange I4 and prevent further rotation thereof and consequently prevent any separation of the switch point 2 from rail I.

From the foregoing description and the drawing it will be clearly apparent that as the rod 9 and the bodies of the clamp shoes I and I0 lie below the rail and switch point respectively, the only upwardly projecting parts are the claws I! and 28 and the knob handle II of the screw nut.

None of these parts is of greater extent than the head of the average spike, and accordingly there are no projections likely to trip up a trainman running alongside the switch, nor is there any part likely to be damaged by dragging parts.

The bolt or rod 9 can therefore be of sufiicient extent to permit a wide range of adjustment for the clamp shoe I and hand-nut II, as indicated by the broken line position in Fig. 1.

The device is also free from contacting surfaces and pits or other traps for ice and foreign bodies, especially at the region of engagement between the flange I4 and the lock 23. There is a minimum chance for clogging of the working parts, accordingly.

Although we have particularly described one particular physical embodiment of our invention and explained the operation, construction and principle thereof, nevertheless, we desire to have it understood that the form selected is merely illustrative, but does not exhaust the possible physical embodiments of the idea of means underlying our invention.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A portable securement for clamping a movable switch point part to a stock rail part, comprising in combination: a pair of clamping members adapted to be engaged in readily removable relation exclusively with the foot of said rail and with a part of said switch point closely adjacent to the rail foot respectively; means, comprising a non-rotatable rod to support said clamping mem-- bers in assembled relation with said parts; and means comprising a nut screwed upon said rod and adapted to be run along said rod and thereby forced against one of said members progressively to actuate said clamping members to force said switch point against said rail part, all of the parts of said securement being positioned without the path of objects connected to a passing train.

2. A securement having the elements combined and cooperating as set forth in claim 1, and further characterized by having a locking means to secure said manually operable screw device directly and positively against retrograde movements likely to impair said securement.

3. A portable securement for clamping rail parts together, said securement comprising in combination: a rod, having a head and a threaded portion; a clamping shoe fixed immovably upon said head, and a clamping shoe mounted movably upon said rod adjacent to said threaded portion; said clamping-shoes each having a clamping claw each adapted to be engaged with one of said rail parts closely in conformity with the foot of the rail and with a part of the switch point lying substantially in the plane of the rail foot; and a hand-nut capable of being screwed onsaidthreaded rod portion into actuative relation with said movable clamping shoe to cause said clamping shoes to embrace said rail parts and draw them together; and means including a flange on said nut provided with a series of body orifices, and also including a padlock with a bail to interlock selectively with one of said orifices, to lock said hand-nut against displacement relatively to said rod, all of the parts of said securement being postioned without the path of objects connected to a passing train.

4. A portable securement characterized by the elements combined and cooperating as set forth in claim 3, and further characterized by having said shoes formed with a trough shape in crosssection, and having spaced apart, longitudinal fiat faces adapted to bear slidingly against the under surfaces of a rail part.

5. A portable securement characterized by the elements combined and cooperating as set forth in claim 3, and further characterized by having said shoes formed with flat faces adapted to bear slidingly against the under surfaces of a rail part and said hand-nut provided with a series of apertures adapted to receive adjustively the bail of a padlock in position to be engaged with a part of said movable shoe.

6. A locking device for a movable railway switch comprising in combination: an abutment member, a movable switch point having a flange thereon, a clamp shoe engaging said flange, a rod having one end attached to said clamp shoe and a screw thread on the opposite end of said rod, a nut on said threaded end of the rod, a handwheel on said nut and movable with said nut along the screw, a clamp movable along said rod by said hand nut into engagement with said abutment member, and a key-operated lock member associated with said hand-nut and clamp to prevent the removal of said screw from clamping engagement with the abutment member, all of the parts of said securement being positioned without the path of objects connected to a passing train.

7. A portable securement characterized by the elements combined and cooperating as set forth in claim 3, and further characterized by having said elements disposable preponderantly below the rail and switch point when in use, whereby the securement is free from projecting parts likely to be engaged by the feet of trainmen or by objects dragging from a passing train.

8. A portable securement for locking a movable switch point part to a stock rail part, comprising in combination: a pair of clamping members adapted to be engaged removably with said parts respectively; means to support said clamping members in assembled relation with said parts; means to actuate said clamping members to force said switch point against said rail part; and means to lock said members and parts against displacement from said clamping relationship, said clamping and locking means respectively free from extended contacting or recessed surfaces likely to be clogged by accumulations of ice or foreign bodies.

BERNARD J. SCHWENDT. FREDERICK C. LAVARACK. 

